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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

When it comes to organization and home management, lets just say that they are not my strongest points.

Over the years, as more kids and responsibilities came along, I have had to rely on the help of others to keep things running as smoothly as possible, be it cooking, cleaning, organizing etc.

Now, the thing is, you can have all the help in the world, but if your help doesn't know what you need them to do, its not going to be that helpful.

And so I have very slowly (and I mean, this has taken me YEARS) figured out the art of delegation.

For some of you, this may come very naturally. For me, it is something I have had to figure out.

A few weeks ago I had a friend helping me prepare food for a large Shabbos meal. She is actually a film director and lives in NY and was just visiting her family who live here and was excited to help.

I set up a station for her with the food processor, different bowls, vegetables, a garbage, she had everything set up and I told her exactly what I needed done.

While we were cooking and chopping, she said, 'you know, you delegate really well!' I literally almost fell over, as this is something that has really not come naturally to me. It still doesn't. I always wished people who are helping me knew exactly what I wanted done without me having to show them.

But then I realized that I should take this new found art and use it in my day to day life.

Here are some great tips on how to master the art of delegation (whether you are delegating chores for your kids, cleaning help, cooking help, activities for your kids, any time you need to tell someone else what you need them to do for you)

1. YOU need to know EXACTLY what you want done. Write a list, in detail of what needs to happen.

2. Set it up for them. Whatever supplies are needed to get the job done, set it up.Try not to have anything around that is not needed.

3.Let them know exactly what is expected to get done. If you need to give a time limit, do so. Ask if your instructions are clear and if they have any questions.

4. Check up on them to make sure they are doing what you want. Mis-communications happen all the time. Just keep on top of things.

This can ALL apply to Homeschooling:
- Know exactly what you want your kids to be learning. Make your decision on curriculum for each child.
-Set it up for them, make sure they have all their supplies that they will need so there will be no interruptions.
-Show them what they need to get done and how much time they have to do it.
-Be there to help them if assistance is needed.

I hope this was helpful to those in a similar situation to me!

Oh, and one last thing- we had a plastic shoe box where we kept all our card games. It was always such a mess even if the cards were in rubber bands, the kids just didn't use them.

I was at Ross one night and found this Jewelry organizer and for some reason though it would be a good idea to keep their playing cards in.

It worked out so great! The kids actually play with the cards now that they can see what they have (I found 3 sets of Uno cards, who knew?)

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

As the new school year approaches and I start to gather my kids curriculum, I can't help but smile to myself.

My babies are now preschoolers. My preschoolers are now in elementary school.

My kids are growing up. And apparently, so am I.

When my oldest was about 5 days old, I was sitting with my father in law and telling him how I think I have my baby figured out and how he is on a great schedule.

My dear father in law just smiled and nodded his head. As the father of 11 kids, he knew fully well how just when we think we have it all figured out, things change, life happens.

I am constantly getting to know my kids. Their personalities, their learning styles. And as I get to know them, it actually gets easier to cater to their schooling.

Looking at how others homeschool can be inspiring. But at the same time, it's not your garden. It's not your kids, or your family dynamics, so never ever compare your homeschool life to anyone elses.

Look at your kids. Talk to them. See what they like. Recognize their strengths and recognize their challenges so you can be there to help them get through them.

We all have our own gardens. Be prepared for unexpected changes. Be open to changing things around when things are not working out. Don't try to push something that is not working for your family but is working for another. If you concentrate on your own garden instead of looking into everyone elses, yours will blossom and bloom.

About Me

I'm a busy mom to a crew of super awesome kiddos. Please enjoy all the free printables and activities, I've had such a great time making and doing them with my kiddos in our ever changing Homeschool journey~ I'd love to hear from you and all about yours, thanks for stopping by!